


I Started The Fire

by TheNutcase



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25479118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNutcase/pseuds/TheNutcase
Summary: After escaping from Josie's subconscious, Hope slips a note under Josie’s door.The pair develop a habit of exchanging love notes, until Josie eventually convinces Hope to communicate with her out loud.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 21
Kudos: 216





	1. Chapter 1

Josie stormed into her room with a frustrated sigh, the door clicking shut behind her with a bit too much force. She shut her eyes and leaned back against it. She took in a deep, steadying breath to attempt to calm herself down.

It was still a bit too early in the day for her to be retiring to her room, but she simply couldn’t handle being around people anymore. Ever since the Dark Josie incident, no one had been looking at her the same – not even her father, who seemed to think that he should treat her like a delicate vase that might shatter if he applied too much pressure.

Josie understood her father’s concern, more or less, even if it was a bit annoying. What really bothered her, though, was the way everyone else kept stopping what they were doing to stare at her whenever she walked into a room. 

They all looked at her warily, like she might snap at any moment and light the school on fire again. 

But Josie wasn’t going to do that – she had things under control. She was dark-magic free. 

She didn’t _feel_ dark-magic free. The way people kept staring at her and whispering made her feel on edge in a way that was disturbingly familiar. She was starting to worry that if they kept it up, she might prove them right.

It had been a couple of weeks since Dark Josie was defeated, and things had otherwise gone back to normal. Josie tried desperately to ground herself in the status quo. 

Things were _close_ to normal, anyway. Landon was awake, his most recent death apparently as inconsequential and anticlimactic as all the rest. Lizzie seemed to have forgiven Josie for her dark counterpart's actions; she was even going out of her way to try to be nice and thoughtful.

The only one who hadn't exactly gone back to normal was Hope. After they managed to retrieve Hope’s consciousness from Josie’s mind, she seemed to begin acting even more distant than usual. She kept tensing up, avoiding eye contact and otherwise dodging Josie's attention.

Josie had been a little hurt at first, thinking that maybe Hope was also distrustful of her after everything that had happened with Dark Josie. But then, Josie realized that Hope was acting just as weird toward everyone else. She was rather despondent, eager to put an end to conversations and lock herself away in her room.

Landon hadn’t thought much of it at first, but he was absolutely devastated when Hope broke up with him. It seemed that he hadn’t expected it at all. Everyone else wasn’t as surprised, having seen the tension building in their relationship from afar or even witnessed Hope lamenting about how she and Landon were doomed in the months prior.

Josie tried to be respectful and listen when Landon ranted to her about how the breakup had blindsided him. He seemed determined to get Hope back. Josie was honestly too worried about Hope to pay him much attention.

That worry certainly didn't ease with time. As she leaned back against her bedroom door and made a concentrated effort to keep her anger in check, Josie seriously considered marching over to Hope’s room and just knocking the door down, demanding answers. 

Hope had sort of become a constant for Josie lately. One of the only constants, in fact. The tribrid was the only person who had been able to anchor Josie to reality when Dark Josie was in control. Hope had also gone way out of her way to find Josie and talk some sense into her.

Hope was sort of Josie’s rock at this point, even if she didn't know it. Without her Josie felt a bit destabilized, especially with all of the pressure she was feeling lately.

Josie thought that it was a bit unfair of Hope to be persistent enough to get Josie to care so much, and then to just disappear. Josie could hardly be mad, though – she was more worried about the tribrid than anything else. 

Josie sighed again, now feeling more depressed than angry. All she really wanted was to talk to Hope about everything. She wanted to have one of their heart-to-hearts again. All she'd gotten from Hope after the tribrid woke up was a tight hug. Hope had whispered _"_ _I’m glad you’re okay"_ into Josie's ear before releasing her. It was brief and to-the-point because everyone else was watching. 

But, it's not like Josie had the right to feel _entitled_ to Hope's attention, she told herself.

Josie shrugged off her jacket, ready to just lie down on her bed and sulk, when something on the floor caught her eye.

It was a red envelope that was just a foot or two away, like someone had slid it under the crack of the door with a bit too much force. Josie’s brow furrowed with confusion as she bent down to pick it up. She flipped it over in her hands, seeing her own name written neatly across the front of it.

It was Hope’s handwriting. Josie was certain of it. Josie had seen her name scrawled in the same script before, on her sixteenth birthday when Hope had left her a gift behind her pillow.

Josie frowned, a bit confused and apprehensive about what might be inside. She made her way over to her bed before opening it, sitting with her legs crossed underneath her. The color of the envelope gave her a distinct sense of deja vu. She nervously fiddled with the talisman that Hope had given her - she just so happened to be wearing it.

Josie dropped the talisman, allowing it to fall to her chest. She flipped over the envelope and unsealed it, pulling out a letter.

It wasn’t like the little note Hope had tucked in with the talisman – this letter was _long_. Josie nearly panicked, flashing back to the time Landon had ditched town while they were still dating and informed her of the fact that he was leaving in a letter.

But Hope wouldn’t do that, Josie assured herself. Surely, she wouldn't.

Still, Josie read the first few sentences a little too quickly before she calmed down – and even then, she didn’t exactly calm down. She just read slower, savoring the words as her heart beat thickly in her chest, because the letter exhibited a side of Hope that she’d never been shown before.

* * *

_Josie,_

_I’ve sat with this letter for a long time now. I debated over writing it – then, once it was written, I debated over burning it. I’ve rewritten it a thousand times over, because it wasn’t quite right the first time. It still feels imperfect._

_But that’s usually how it goes for me when I try to capture any feeling in words – it always feels like I’m missing the point. That’s why I rarely speak about feelings at all._

_This time, my feelings are thick in my throat, suffocating; I fear I’ll choke on them if I say nothing. I can’t remember a time I’ve felt so strongly about anything else. I hope that it doesn’t overwhelm you, or blindside you as it has blindsided me. I would hate to make you feel uncomfortable._

_Finding out that you didn’t know that you were strong – that no one had ever told you that it was okay for you to be strong – left me feeling like I had a hole in my heart. I always thought your strength was as obvious to you as it was to me. I was foolish to just assume you knew. _

_If I had known that you believed yourself to be weak, I would have told you all about how strong you were every day._

_You’ve always been so good at pretending to be okay. Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at being able to tell when you aren't. But I wasn’t paying close enough attention this time. I can’t help but think that I’ve let you down by failing to notice how much you were struggling._

_It’s left me wondering what else you might doubt about yourself – whether or not you know how brilliant and kind and beautiful you are. I can’t stop thinking about it – losing my mind over it, even. I can’t stand the thought that you might think that you’re anything less._

_I need you to understand how much of a work of art you are. I’ve always thought that you were pretty, but your mind, Josie – the color, the innocence of it. You’re so beautiful. So much deeper, so much more than I ever could’ve imagined. Anything I can think of to say feels like it's not enough - but, please, Josie, I need you to understand. _

_I’m sorry that I’ve been so distant this past week. You didn’t do anything wrong – I promise. It’s just that every time I see you now, I feel compelled to tell you this._

_But it’s never the right time, and even if it were, I’m a bit of a coward when it comes to this sort of thing. I tense up and shut down. I’d probably trip over my tongue if I tried to say a word of this to you out loud._

_I debated over writing this, burning it, and now sending it – and I get it now, how you must’ve felt just before you tried to burn that note under my door. Trying to build the courage to slip this under your door is like staring at a pool for too long right before you jump in it, dreading the cold and the change._

_Hope_

* * *

When Josie finished reading, she was left sitting on the bed in stunned silence, her jaw slack and her heart pounding erratically in her chest. “Holy shit,” she whispered to herself under her breath, blinking rapidly, her eyes darting around the room like she was surprised to find herself in it.

Josie swallowed thickly, staring down at the note again. Her throat was dry and felt like it was burning; every muscle in her body seemed to be shocked into stillness. Frankly, the letter had left her feeling very emotional and overwhelmed, and it only took a few moments before the floodgates opened and she allowed herself to cry.

She cried for what felt like forever, but there was something healing about it, as if she were forgiving herself. When she finally stopped, she took a deep breath and she read the letter through again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all
> 
> Apparently Hope uses emdashes liberally
> 
> This will be a multichapter fic. I'm not sure how frequently it'll be updated yet, since Matchmaker is my top priority until that's finished.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Hope ducked into her room and swung the door closed behind her. It slammed shut with such velocity that a few papers fluttered off of her desk from the resulting breeze. 

She had been trying to avoid leaving her room all day, but she eventually had to go get something to eat. She couldn’t just starve, no matter how mortified she was. 

Hope's heart had been pounding in her throat the whole way to and from the kitchen, as though she were trying to escape from a prison. Now that she'd made it back to the safety of her own room, she felt it gradually begin to settle down.

She had slipped a note under Josie’s door the night before, but she couldn't understand what had compelled her to do it. She'd regretted it almost instantly (but not quite enough to attempt to light the note on fire).

She kind of hoped that some miracle had happened; that Josie had accidentally kicked the note under her bed without noticing. She prayed that Josie would never read it at all – but Hope knew that that outcome was unlikely.

In fact, more likely than not, Josie had already read it. The fact that she didn't know what Josie thought about it made Hope feel like she was on the verge of a panic attack.

So, Hope was avoiding her.

Hope knew that she couldn’t avoid Josie forever, but she certainly intended to do so for the time being. She figured that she should at least be able to dodge Josie’s attention for the weekend, as long as Josie didn't try to hunt her down for answers. 

Hope didn’t think that she’d be able to handle the shame if she found out that the note had made Josie feel awkward. (But, in fact, Hope couldn’t imagine any reaction that she’d know how to handle.)

Hope felt like an idiot, leaving herself so vulnerable. Hope never told people how she felt for a reason. Josie had the power to crush her now.

Not that Hope thought that Josie would crush her. In truth, Hope probably wouldn’t have even considered giving Josie the letter in the first place if she wasn’t sure that Josie would be nice about it (or, at the very least, polite).

But still, waiting around was allowing Hope’s mind to come up with all kinds of worst-case scenarios. 

What if Josie thought that the note was really weird? What if she got creeped out; what if she felt like Hope’s feelings were way too intense? What if it destroyed their friendship?

Hope didn’t even know what she’d do if she lost Josie. Just the thought of it made her feel nauseous.

Josie had somehow managed to become the person Hope respected and cared for the most out of everyone in her life. Hope had always had a soft spot for her, but after everything they’d been through lately, it had only gotten worse. 

Now, Hope simply couldn’t stop thinking about her. Hope couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she had been seconds away from letting Dark Josie kill her; the fact that she couldn’t bring herself to fight back, even if it meant letting the world end. Hope couldn’t stop thinking about the forest in Josie’s subconscious; about everything Josie had said to her when she was disguised as the pig (did it mean something, when Josie asked Hope to kiss her?). 

Hope couldn’t stop thinking about how pretty Josie looked, even with a little bit of dirt on her cheek; even when she was distraught and feeling helpless and talking about how she didn’t think she stood a chance against her darker side.

It had hit Hope like a train, all of a sudden and all at once. It was like the floodgates had been opened the moment she woke up, and all she could manage to do was admire Josie from afar and think about the memories they had together.

Hope didn’t even know how to deal with it. It got to the point where she couldn’t even look at Landon anymore without feeling guilty. But Landon kept looking at her – and Hope kept feeling this pressure building, until eventually she had to break up with him.

They’d already been on the rocks, really, and her suddenly overwhelming feelings for Josie just pushed her over the edge. It wouldn’t have been fair to him to keep their relationship going even though she had so little confidence in it.

But the second she was single, Hope's feelings for Josie got way more complicated. She started having to write about them just to keep them under control. At some point, she started writing _to_ Josie. And then she was rewriting and rewriting – and before she knew it, she was sliding a note under Josie’s door.

And then, Hope was panicking. And then, Hope was scurrying away down the hall. And then, Hope was staring at the ceiling instead of sleeping. And then, Hope was stealthing around the halls to try to snag some food without being seen, like she was leading a bank heist.

Hope knew that avoiding Josie wasn’t going to change the outcome, but she simply couldn’t help it. Sure, she was fearless when it came to fighting monsters. But when it came to feelings, she would be the first to run away.

So, she practically sprinted to the kitchen between lunch and dinner, when she figured she was the least likely to run into anyone. And then, she sprinted back to her room.

That's how Hope found herself sprawled out across her bed with a miserable pout on her lips, staring at the ceiling.

Her brooding was interrupted when she heard a strange rustling sound coming from the door. She sat up ramrod straight, her eyes darting over to the door just to see that someone had just slid a piece of paper under it.

Hope instantly felt herself begin to panic. She couldn't think of anyone who would be sliding a note under her door besides Josie. She hopped off of her bed and moved to pick up the note, feeling a bit frantic.

Her name was written across the front of the folded-up piece of paper. It was Josie's hand writing - Hope recognized it from the numerous times Josie had written on the board in class. (Hope was starting to realize that she had always paid a little bit too much attention to everything Josie did.)

Hope didn't know what to think about the fact that Josie hadn’t knocked on the door and tried to talk to her out loud. Her stomach sank, and she figured that it was probably a bad sign. Maybe Josie didn't want to talk to her?

Hope was already envisioning what might be in the note before she opened it. She managed to come up with a few horrific scenarios in an impressively short amount of time. In one of them, the note just said _'I think we should stop talking.'_

Hope had already thoroughly freaked herself out by the time she sat on the edge of her bed and opened the note. She was sort of relieved when she opened the note to find out that it was just as long as hers – maybe even longer, in fact. 

The relief was short lived, because she was soon unbearably anxious about what Josie could’ve possibly written. She took a deep breath before starting to read, unable to stomach the apprehension for any longer.

* * *

_Hope,_

_Your letter took me off guard, but I certainly don’t feel uncomfortable. You could never make me feel uncomfortable – not with something like this. There is no feeling you could have that would repel me._

_With that said, I had no idea that you were feeling this way. I didn’t even know that this part of you existed, so it must be closely guarded. It means the world to me that you trust me enough to be so honest._

_Please forgive me if my thoughts are disorganized. I’m still struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that you think about me enough to have written what you wrote. It would be a miracle if this letter turned out to be half as eloquent as yours._

_Thank you, for everything. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for all of the kind things you said about me in your letter. It means more to me than I can say with words. It means more to me than it would if it were coming from anyone else, because I hold you in the highest regard on all fronts._

_You’re the strongest person I know. I’m not just referring to the way you can handle any monster. You’re resilient despite everything you’ve been through; you always do the right thing, even when you know that it's going to hurt._

_If I’m strong, it’s only because I try to emulate the example you’ve set for me._

_You’re incredible, Hope Mikaelson. So incredible that it’s difficult for me to process that you’ve called me a work of art. I can hardly believe that you see me that way._

_I don’t know much about visual art, honestly. But you’ve always reminded me of music. It’s hard to explain. It’s almost like you’re too alive to be contained in one moment._

_It’s more than just that, though. Sometimes, when I play an instrument and sing at the same time, both parts tune into each other at once. The tempo takes on a life of its own and neither part leads. They both just follow. It’s like the pace is set by something else entirely, something beyond its parts._

_It’s like magic._

_I get that same feeling when I look at you._

_I know that all of that probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I never thought I would tell you any of this. (It's a bit embarrassing.) But it’s only fair since you’ve been so honest with me._

_Reading it back, it sounds a little bit intense. I hope it doesn’t scare you, but I can’t think of any other way to describe it._ _The way I feel about you isn’t like the way I feel about anyone else. It never has been. You’ve always been special to me._

_I don’t want you to think for a second that you’ve let me down. You haven’t. You’ve done more than enough for me. You believed in me when everyone else had given up on me. You believed in me when I'd given up on myself._

_I owe you my life. I don’t know what would’ve become of me if it hadn't been for you. I don’t even want to imagine it._

_Thank you for writing to me. I was honestly starting to worry about you. I know that it’s not easy for you to talk about how you’re feeling out loud (or at all, for that matter). That's why I figured I'd write back instead of speaking to you about this in person - I don't want you to feel like I'm putting you on the spot._

_I really hope that you’ll write to me again. I'd love to know more about what you're thinking. Your letters will be safe with me. I would guard your feelings with my life; I hope you know that._

_Yours,_

_Josie_

* * *

The word _'Y_ _ours'_ echoed in Hope's mind like a mantra before she managed to think of anything else. She could imagine how the word would sound in Josie's voice, and just the thought of it sent a weird thrill down her spine. 

Hope swallowed thickly, trying to stop herself from reading too far into it before things got out of hand.

It took her a while to process everything else that Josie had written. She read it over three times before allowing herself to feel relieved.

But then, she certainly felt relieved. It was as if something had been crushing her and weighing her down for so long that she hadn’t even realized it until the pressure was released.

Hope felt like she could breathe again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! 
> 
> & follow me on twitter @Th3Nutcase if you want


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